List of Italian women writers

This is a list of women writers (including poets) who were born in Italy or whose writings are closely associated with that country.

A

Vittoria Aganoor (1855–1910), poet, letter writer

Milena Agus (born 1959), novelist

Sibilla Aleramo (1876–1960), poet, autobiographer, feminist writer

Gabriella Ambrosio (born 1954), novelist, essayist, journalist

Isabella Andreini (1562–1604), playwright, poet, actress

Tullia d'Aragona (c. 1510–1556), writer, philosopher, courtesan

Antonia Arslan (born 1938), novelist, critic, translator, educator

Devorà Ascarelli (c. 16th century), poet and translator

Costanza d'Avalos Piccolomini (died 1560), poet

Elisa S. Amore (born 1984), novelist

B

Ida Baccini (1850–1911), children's writer

Emma Baeri (born 1942), feminist historian, political scientist

Teresa Bandettini (1763–1837), poet, dancer

Anna Banti (1895–1985), historical novelist, critic, autobiographer

Barbara Baraldi, thriller novelist

Giuseppa Barbapiccola, (1702–c. 1740), poet, translator

Laura Battiferri (1523–1589), poet

Giuliana Berlinguer (1933–2014), film director, screenwriter, novelist

Angela Bianchini (1921–2018), novelist, short story writer, translator

Alberta Bigagli (1928–2017), poet

Margarita Bobba (16th century), poet

Catherine of Bologna (1413–1463), religious writer, saint

Simona Bonafé (born 1973), journalist, politician

Laudomia Bonanni (1907–2002), writer, journalist

Maria Selvaggia Borghini (1656–1731), poet, translator

Benedetta Brevini, academic, author, journalist, and reformer

Helle Busacca (1915–1996), poet, painter, author

C

Paola Calvetti (born 1958), novelist, journalist

Duccia Camiciotti (1928–2014), poet, essayist

Manuela Campanelli (born 1962), journalist, non-fiction writer

Paola Capriolo (born 1962), novelist, translator

Lara Cardella (born 1969), novelist, author of Good Girls Don't Wear Trousers

Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), religious writings

Nadia Cavalera (born 1950), novelist, poet, critic

Laura Cereta (1469–1499), 15th-century letter writer

Isabella Cervoni (1575–1600), poet

Alba de Céspedes (1911–1997), journalist, novelist

Saveria Chemotti (born 1947), non-fiction, essays, literary criticism, novels

Maria Chessa Lai (1922–2012), Catalan poet from Sardinia

Elisa Chimenti (1883–1969), author

Fausta Cialente (1898–1994), novelist

Maria Luisa Cicci (1760–1794), poet

Vittoria Colonna (1492–1547), popular 16th-century poet

Danila Comastri Montanari (1948–2023), novelist

Cristina Comencini (born 1956), novelist, film director

Margherita Costa (17th century), poet, songwriter

Maria Corti (1915–2002), philologist, critic, novelist

D

Virgilia D'Andrea (1888–1933), anarchist poet

Emanuela Da Ros (born 1959), children's writer

Grazia Deledda (1871–1936), novelist, poet, Nobel laureate

Silvana De Mari (born 1953), children's writer, fantasy novelist

Compiuta Donzella (13th century), earliest women poet writing in Italian

Paola Drigo (1876–1938), short story writer, novelist

Francesca Duranti (born 1935), novelist

E

Muzi Epifani (1935–1984), novelist, poet, playwright, columnist

F

Camilla Faà (c. 1599–1662), early autobiographer

Oriana Fallaci (1929–2006), journalist, biographer

Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel (1752–1799), poet, letter writer

Moderata Fonte (1555–1592), Venetian poet

Laudomia Forteguerri (1515–1555?), poet

Biancamaria Frabotta (1946–2022), poet, playwright, essayist, non-fiction writer

Veronica Franco (1546–1591), poet

G

Veronica Gambara (1485–1550), poet, letter writer

Brunella Gasperini (1918–1979), journalist, novelist

Natalia Ginzburg (1916–1991, novelist, short story writer, essayist

Cinzia Giorgio (born 1975), novelist, playwright, essayist

Elisabetta Gnone (born 1965), children's writer

Simonetta Greggio (born 1961), novelist, writes in French

Cornelia Barbaro Gritti (1719–1808), poet and salon-holder

Amalia Guglielminetti (1881–1941), poet, letter writer

Margherita Guidacci (1921–1992), poet, translator

Lucia Guerrini (1921–1990), classical scholar, archaeologist, writer and editor

J

Fleur Jaeggy (born 1940), Swiss-born Italian-language novelist

M

Maria-Antonietta Macciocchi (1922–2007), journalist, non-fiction writer